# Cigar Beetles in my Pipe Tobacco!



## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

Well I returned home this thanksgiving, this year with a little added enthusiasm because I was going to dig out my modest collection of pipes and tobaccos from my closet. I had let this stuff sit for a good 2 years, knowing that I would take the pipe back up at some point when it was right for me. 

I uncovered half a dozen tins, and a few baggies of assorted stuff in addition to my Nording, Boswell, Grabow and Yello bowl... but that's for another thread (or 2). 

What I wanted to show y'all was a tin of Sherlock Holmes that I left in my humidor with some matches and an old Ghurka that I had no intention of ever smoking. Lets just say leaving that cigar in there was a mistake because when I opened the humi I noticed that it had the tell tale signs of cigar beetles... I guess my tin of Sherlock wasn't as tightly sealed as I would have liked because the beetles managed to get in and consume the better part of a tin of tobacco! Some of the beetles were still alive, crawling about. As the pics will show the tobacco was reduced to dust. Luckily all my other tins were in a different box. 

With that said, time for some pictures! Notice in the final shot how the beetles ate through the paper liner. Pretty nasty stuff!


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## nimravus01 (Aug 15, 2007)

Wow! I didn't even know there were such things... Where do they come from?

That is pretty nasty too!


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## Puffy69 (Sep 8, 2005)

Damn...That sucks..


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## kvm (Sep 7, 2005)

Wow! I would never have though they could get into a tin.


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## Raindog (Jul 28, 2007)

Shove the little gits in your pipe and smoke them! I'd never heard of these either.
Is it purely a cigar based problem?
How did they get in the tin!?



Jeff.


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## JAK (Oct 10, 2007)

I take it you had opened the tin. I would NEVER have gussed that could happen.


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## daniyal (Oct 9, 2007)

The tobacco beetle is not limited to just cigars it can infect any form of tobacco... what makes it even more difficult is the fact that these beetles can be found in your house during the winter months cause its nice and heated.


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## JacksonCognac (Nov 12, 2007)

Yes this tin was previously open and probably not properly closed so the beetles got in and over the course of 2+ years they turned my terbaccy to mulch! My roommate was telling me that one time his friend bought a bag of rolling tobacco and it was also infested with beetles - they certainly aren't limited to cigars although they are often referred to as cigar beetles. 

While I feel like this was more of an extenuating circumstance, if you are planning on the long term storage of any tobacco make sure its properly sealed.


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## tzilt (Nov 20, 2007)

Does this mean that any time you are enjoying a pipe or a cigar you may be smoking beetle eggs as well? 

Someone should advertise that as a blend. 

"...the finest quality beetle eggs give this blend a unique finish. Aged properly, it surprises the palate and the eyes."


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## pierredekat (Mar 7, 2007)

As if I didn't _already_ have enough to worry about.


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## Mad Hatter (Apr 8, 2007)

Dude, that's not tobacco dust. Its beetle poop!


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## IHT (Dec 27, 2003)




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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

daniyal said:


> The tobacco beetle is not limited to just cigars it can infect any form of tobacco... what makes it even more difficult is the fact that these beetles can be found in your house during the winter months cause its nice and heated.


As a renewed cigar and pipe smoker after many years of not smoking I want to begin to establish my own pipe tobacco celler and the thought came to me about tobacco beetles so I scanned Puffs archives and came up with this thread.:scared:

In reading your posts I have noted that many of you have extensive tobacco cellers containing many years of collecting pipe tobacco and I have never heard of any of you with the exception of this thread of having problems with tobacco beetles.

So my question is how do you protect yourselves from pipe tobacco beetles?:dunno:


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## Commander Quan (May 6, 2003)

The eggs are the problem. Beatles lay their eggs on the tobacco leaves and then they hatch and eat the tobacco they were laid on. When these leaves get wrapped into cigars the eggs get wrapped up as well. This is the first time I have heard about anyone having Beatles in their pipe tobacco, so I doubt it is anything to loose sleep over, and I wouldn't be surprised if the original poster had left that tin cracked and they were able to get in that way from the cigar. If you are really worried you can freeze your tobacco and it will crack the eggs and kill them, or you can just make sure the temperature your tobacco is stored at doesn't reach the upper 70's for extended periods because the eggs won't hatch below those temps. 

I'm not sure if pipe tobacco is less susceptible to the beetles because of the extra process is goes through, where as cigars are just fermented and rolled, or what the reason behind it is.


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## BigRay023 (Apr 11, 2009)

Wow you just added another reason why I hate Ghurkas. And I didn't think that was possible:mischief: yup that sure is like a one in a million shot that them little buggers could crawl off that turd and into a half sealed tin. Amazing. I just got finished freezing and thawing my tambolaka ropes because of the organic way the tobacco is grown and that they will most likely see long term storage.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Coffee-Cup said:


> As a renewed cigar and pipe smoker after many years of not smoking I want to begin to establish my own pipe tobacco celler and the thought came to me about tobacco beetles so I scanned Puffs archives and came up with this thread.:scared:
> 
> In reading your posts I have noted that many of you have extensive tobacco cellers containing many years of collecting pipe tobacco and I have never heard of any of you with the exception of this thread of having problems with tobacco beetles.
> 
> So my question is how do you protect yourselves from pipe tobacco beetles?:dunno:


Don't put pipe baccy (tins/bags/whatever) in a humidor! Thus no way for beetles or larvae or eggs or ovum or whichever to get near your baccy.

Pipe tobacco is processed much more than a cigar, which is essentially a rolled bunch of leaves. Pipe baccy is shredded/diced/sliced/mashed which takes care of any hitchhikers.


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Commander Quan said:


> Beatles lay their eggs on the tobacco leaves and then they hatch and eat the tobacco they were laid on.


This is just a vicious rumor started by members of the Rolling Stones!


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## Diodon nepheligina (Nov 5, 2009)

Commander Quan said:


> Beatles in their pipe tobacco


Darn those tobacco loving Beatles...


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## GuitarDan (Nov 26, 2009)

Ghurka advertisements clearly state that the moisture in eggs acts as a humidity stabilizer. 
The eggs themselves are consumption timing devices. Hatching provides visual confirmation of optimal aging, letting you know it's time to enjoy your Ghurka!

Really gang, I'm shocked that you all aren't sophisticated enough to appreciate these features and benefits!


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> Don't put pipe baccy (tins/bags/whatever) in a humidor! Thus no way for beetles or larvae or eggs or ovum or whichever to get near your baccy.
> 
> Pipe tobacco is processed much more than a cigar, which is essentially a rolled bunch of leaves. Pipe baccy is shredded/diced/sliced/mashed which takes care of any hitchhikers.


RJ I will make sure that I get some mason jars and my pipe tobacco will never see the likes of my cigars; in fact I will make sure that they are stored in a different location from my cigars.:doh:

Unfortunately I will have double duty in peeping at both my cigars in one room and my pipe tobacco in another on a regular basis to check for beetles.:frusty: I don't dare tell my wife about the beetles or my cigars, pipes, humidors, igloos, my pipe tobacco and me will be sitting on the curb.:tape2:


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## mbearer (Jun 2, 2010)

MarkC said:


> This is just a vicious rumor started by members of the Rolling Stones!


I love this forum. That is all.


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Coffee-Cup said:


> RJ I will make sure that I get some mason jars and my pipe tobacco will never see the likes of my cigars; in fact I will make sure that they are stored in a different location from my cigars.:doh:
> 
> Unfortunately I will have double duty in peeping at both my cigars in one room and my pipe tobacco in another on a regular basis to check for beetles.:frusty: I don't dare tell my wife about the beetles or my cigars, pipes, humidors, igloos, my pipe tobacco and me will be sitting on the curb.:tape2:


There's no way for a beetle to get into a tin or jar of pipe tobacco, they're not likely to trot across the room from cigar 'dor to baccy rack :llama:


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## TonyBrooklyn (Jan 28, 2010)

Mad Hatter said:


> Dude, that's not tobacco dust. Its beetle poop!


That's exactly right good post.:bump2:


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## Zeabed (Apr 23, 2009)

RJpuffs said:


> There's no way for a beetle to get into a tin or jar of pipe tobacco, they're not likely to trot across the room from cigar 'dor to baccy rack :llama:


Oh yes they can. They have wings and can fly. Cigar Aficionado | Web Features | The Last Word on Tobacco Beetles


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## RJpuffs (Jan 27, 2008)

Zeabed said:


> Oh yes they can. They have wings and can fly. Cigar Aficionado | Web Features | The Last Word on Tobacco Beetles


Eeek!

Lets see them unscrew a mason jar, or an Escudo tin for that matter ipe:


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## Zeabed (Apr 23, 2009)

RJpuffs said:


> Eeek!
> 
> Lets see them unscrew a mason jar, or an Escudo tin for that matter ipe:


All they have to do is wait for you to unscrew them, and then fly in. Apparently the original poster may have left his tin open or a similar mishap. Be afraid... Be very afraid...


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## Coffee-Cup (Jan 26, 2010)

RJpuffs said:


> Eeek!
> 
> Lets see them unscrew a mason jar, or an Escudo tin for that matter ipe:


Rj That is so funny.:thumb: I was laughing out loud and my wife wanted to know what was so funny and because I don't want her to know about the beetles I quickly clicked off the site; you guys are going to get me in trouble.:scared:


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## MarkC (Jul 4, 2009)

Reason for editing: because there's no frickin' delete button!


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